The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant botanically known as Hydrangea macrophylla and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘SAXBRIWHI’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Dresden, Germany during the early summer of 2006. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Hydrangea cultivars that have strong stems and long-lasting inflorescences.
The new Hydrangea cultivar is the result of cross-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is a proprietary Hydrangea macrophylla breeding selection coded A15-1, not patented, characterized by its lacecap-type, pink-colored inflorescences, large dark green-colored foliage, and highly vigorous, upright growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is a proprietary Hydrangea macrophylla breeding selection coded 6-99/4, not patented, characterized by its mophead-type, white to slightly pink colored inflorescences, small dark green-colored foliage, and low growth vigor, compact-upright growth habit. The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated cross-pollination during April 2008 in a controlled environment in in Dresden, Germany.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by softwood cuttings since June 2008 in Dresden, Germany has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.